Chapter 549: For the Goddess's Advent
Chapter 549: For the Goddess's Advent
“Shall we go, then?”
“…Yes.”
With the commotion settled for now, I left the room with Matilda.
After all, my reason for coming here today wasn't just for a class change.
Before, I was so confused that I couldn't say much and just went along with it, but things are different now that I've clearly understood Matilda's feelings and even appointed her as an Apostle.
Bring it on, Your Holiness. Our hearts are firmly connected, after all.
No matter how much you prattle on about the church's affairs, I'm going to settle this once and for all.
With my mind made up, I headed with Matilda to the place where the communication magic was installed.
Oh, and for the record, our dear angel stayed behind in High Priestess Sophia's office, saying she would look after the fainted Silvia.
Sara and Diana were the same, but isn't everyone's reaction to Silvia a little too lukewarm?
I mean, I was fooling around with a woman other than them, so I'd think this would normally be the time for them to get jealous.
Instead, they get mad at me.
No, well, I guess seeing Silvia like that would make anyone feel silly for getting jealous.
And even when she got angry, she's still my angel.
She just bent forward, held out a hand with her index finger pointed, and said, “If you tease Silvia too much, I'll have to scold you! H-Hmph!” before poking me lightly on the chest. That was it.
To be honest, it felt less like a scolding and more like a reward.
Well, she was supposedly angry, so I didn't let it show on my face.
Anyway, that's how Matilda and I ended up heading to the communication magic room alone, without Leia and Silvia. High Priestess Sophia must have read the room, as she didn't follow us either.
I thought we'd need the High Priestess's permission to use the communication magic, but it seemed Matilda's authority was sufficient. As expected of a Cardinal.
“Yes, this is the Holy See… Ahh! It's the Saint…!”
“Could you connect me to His Holiness the Pope?”
“Eh?! Ah, C-Cardinal Matilda! Good day! Y-Yes! Right away!”
When we connected to the Holy See via communication magic, the priest who appeared was the same one I'd seen before.
He was still as flustered as ever, which didn't quite match his appearance.
As I mulled that over, the Pope appeared on the other side of the communication crystal.
“Hoh, Saint. I never expected you to seek this old man out again so soon. Have you been well? And Cardinal Matilda is with you. Is something the matter?”
The Pope greeted us with the same gentle smile and warm voice as before, but I could still feel a subtle sense of pressure from him.
“Good day, Your Holiness. The truth is… I do not intend to return to the Holy See, even after my curse is broken.”
But Matilda paid his demeanor no mind and got straight to the point right after her greeting.
Hey. He's the Pope, shouldn't you at least make some pleasantries first?
Seriously, her decisiveness is on another level.
“Hoh. You do not intend to return… you say?”
“Yes. Even after the curse is broken, I intend to remain by the Saint's side and assist him with the mission given by the Goddess.”
“Hoh hoh. I see. In that case, does this mean you will return once the Goddess's mission is complete?”
“Y-Yes?! Ah, no. Um, well…”
Matilda, who had spoken so gallantly with a determined expression, was instantly flustered and lost her composure at the Pope's single counter.
“Hoh hoh. My, my. It seems you are quite something yourself, Saint.”
“Pardon? Ah, ahaha. W-Well, you see. Ahaha.”
Seeing the Pope turn his gaze to me with a meaningful smile, all I could do was laugh awkwardly.
This Pope is really tough to deal with.
“However, Cardinal Matilda. There is a high probability that your current feelings are a result of the curse. Are you not well aware of this fact yourself?”
The Pope gave me a nod before turning his gaze back to Matilda, his expression now quite serious as he spoke.
Whoa. Now that he's speaking without a smile, the pressure is completely undisguised…
“No. These feelings are absolutely not because of the curse.”
But despite the pressure, Matilda answered in a resolute voice.
Even if the feelings were from the curse, she could just fall in love all over again.
I had expected her to answer the way I'd told her to before, so hearing this different response, I felt an even greater surge of emotion.
An attitude full of conviction in her own feelings.
In that moment, Matilda was so beautiful it was dazzling.
If the Pope weren't watching, I would have pulled her into my arms and kissed her right then and there.
“Hmm. Is that so. However, Cardinal Matilda, your refusal to return to the Holy See could become a burden to many people. Not only will you be forcing your duties onto others, but do you understand how much hardship it will cause for the many people who follow you?”
“Yes. I know. Even so, I want to be here with Guwon.”
The Pope pressed her further, but Matilda didn't back down an inch, meeting his words head-on.
For a while after that, a strange silence dominated the room.
It was the Pope who broke the silence.
“Huhu. Is that so. Very well. Please, lend your strength to the Saint as he carries out the Goddess's will by his side.”
Moreover, the words that broke the silence were completely unexpected.
So unexpected that I, who had just been watching their confrontation from the side, couldn't help but interject.
“Huh?! Wait! That's it?! Just like that?!”
“Hmm? Do you have some complaint, Saint?”
“N-No! Of course I'm happy you gave your permission! That's not it! If you were going to agree this easily, then what was all that strange pressure and that weird silence about?!”
“Hmm. This old man is not quite sure what you are talking about, Saint.”
But the Pope just played dumb with a slight smile.
“Well then, it seems our business is concluded. Saint, and Cardinal Matilda, farewell. I ask for your continued efforts in accordance with the Goddess's will.”
“Yes, Your Holiness. Please take care of yourself and stay healthy.”
“Hoh hoh. Yes. Please come visit sometime using the teleportation circle.”
Leaving me dumbfounded, the two of them chatted casually as if nothing had happened before ending the communication.
“…I don't get it.”
“What on earth are you so unhappy about? Everything ended well, didn't it?”
Hearing my muttering, Matilda, who had just ended the call, spoke with an exasperated look.
“No, it's not that I'm unhappy. It's just, if he was going to agree so easily, what was all that posturing for? No matter how you look at it, we got his permission way too easily, don't you think?”
“You think so? I thought he would agree easily if I properly conveyed my feelings.”
“What? Then what was that reaction of yours earlier? You were so tense before we came here, with that resolute look on your face. What was all that about?”
“Th-That's… I mean, of course. Even for me, I was giving a report like that to my grandmother. Of course I'd be a little nervous.”
When I pressed her, Matilda blushed slightly as she answered.
Aha. I see. Grandmo… Huh? Grandmother…?
“GRANDMOTHER?! Wait a minute! You don't just mean it as a term of respect for an elderly woman, you mean your actual, blood-related grandmother?!”
“Y-Yes… You mean you didn't know?”
“How could I have known?! I'm from… well, I've been in this world for a while, but still! How could I know?! So what?! I was having an interview with my girlfriend's grandmother without even realizing it?!”
No wonder I felt that strange pressure every time I saw him!
That gaze! Was that the look of someone sizing up their granddaughter's future husband?!
That's so misleading! I just thought it was the Pope's hawkish eyes trying to gauge my qualities as the Saint!
“G-Grandmother…”
“You're getting shy about that now?!”
I felt like an idiot for being so tense.
No, it was a situation where I should have been tense, that's true.
But I should have been tense for a completely different reason.
How am I supposed to describe this feeling…?
“…Let's go back.”
“We got permission, so you could at least look a little happier. You're bringing my mood down, you know.”
“Ah, yeah. Right. Right. Oh, wait.”
I was about to leave the room with a half-hearted reply when I realized I'd forgotten something and turned to face Matilda again.
“W-What is it…?”
Matilda had been looking exasperated just a moment ago, but as soon as I faced her directly like this, she was ready to switch into her 'pink mode'.
She's so easy.
Well, this time I actually do intend to put her in pink mode.
I pulled Matilda's body close and pressed my lips to hers.
“I've been wanting to kiss you for a while. You were incredibly beautiful just now.”
“Ahh… Youuuu…”
When I said that, Matilda's face filled with ecstasy as she cupped my cheeks with both hands and began kissing me wildly.
“Um… could you do that somewhere else… Please stop doing that in front of a single person… What is this… Is this some new form of harassment…?”
Watching us, the priest in charge of the communication magic muttered with a dark expression.
It seemed he had come in after confirming the communication had been cut.
Ah, sorry. No, really. I'm sorry.
“You… I love youuu… Youuuu…”
Seeing him, I felt genuinely sorry, but my feelings were one thing; Matilda, now fully in pink mode, didn't stop kissing me.
Hey. That priest looks like he's about to cry, let's stop soon.
Having successfully received permission for Matilda to stay with me, we took a carriage back to the mansion.
For your information, Silvia had already woken up by the time we returned, so she ended up in my arms for the entire ride back.
My plan was to build up her tolerance by giving her continuous stimulation, not just a brief, strong shock.
Now that she's woken up from fainting, we have to continue what we were doing before.
And we'll keep going even after we get back to the mansion.
We're scheduled to go to the dungeon tomorrow anyway, and Silvia is the only one I haven't properly been with since being rescued from the shipwreck.
Back when I helped her with the effects of Felicia's aura, I even told her we'd do the real thing later. But so much has happened since then that it's taken much longer than expected. I feel bad about it.
Seeing me call Silvia over and hug her as soon as I returned, my angel was about to scold me again, but thankfully, Silvia herself stepped up to defend me, so I was spared.
Not that I'd mind being scolded by my angel, of course.
In any case, we returned to the mansion, but another unexpected event was waiting for me there.
No. Honestly, this one was completely my fault. I should have predicted this would happen.
Why didn't I think of it?
As we entered the mansion grounds, I saw Sara pacing back and forth in the garden, looking incredibly emotionally unstable.
She was tightly clutching the necklace I had given her.
And the moment the necklace began to glow, she whipped her head around with terrifying speed, looked toward the main gate—that is, toward me—and started charging.
Hey. Isn't she running a little too fast?
Should I dodge? No. From the way she's running, if I move, she'll crash right into the wall.
Making a split-second decision, I gently moved Silvia, whom I was holding, to the side and spread my arms to receive Sara's charge.
“Keoheok!”
And as expected, taking Sara's shoulder tackle straight to the gut, I had no choice but to collapse onto the ground, spread-eagled.
That's how much damage I took.
Sara, the one who tackled me, must have felt quite an impact as well.
But despite that, Sara paid it no mind and started rubbing her cheek frantically against my chest.
“Hiiing… Guwoooon… Guwoooon…”
Yeah, yeah. Your Guwon is right here.
Watching her, all I could do was lie there on the garden ground and gently stroke her head.